Tender Tomato Hearts (A Valentine's Day Appetizer) Recipe
Prep Time:
55 minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes
Servings:
6 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups sliced grape tomatoes
- ¼ teaspoon + 1 pinch salt, divided
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon sun dried tomato pesto
- ½ cup shredded Asiago cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 basil leaves, shredded into small pieces
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Place the tomatoes in a small bowl with ¼ teaspoon salt and mix well. Set the bowl aside to allow the salt to draw extra moisture out of the tomatoes while you prepare the dough.
- Unroll the puff pastry sheet and place it on a work surface.
- Hold a large heart-shaped cookie cutter up to the sheets to determine how many hearts you can fit, alternating the direction of the cutter to save space. If necessary, roll the dough slightly larger with a rolling pin.
- Cut out as many hearts as you can and place the pieces on a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Combine the leftover dough pieces, roll them flat, and cut out however many additional hearts you can. Place them on the baking sheet as well.
- Roll up the edges of the hearts to create a raised border about ¼ inch wide.
- Press the surface of the hearts inside the border with your fingertip to flatten slightly.
- Prick the dough with a fork.
- Spread the pesto evenly inside the borders of the hearts.
- Sprinkle the shredded Asiago cheese on top of the pesto.
- Drain the tomato mixture.
- Wipe the bowl dry, put the tomatoes back in the bowl, add the garlic, olive oil, shredded basil, a pinch of salt, and black pepper, and mix well.
- Distribute the tomato mixture evenly on top of the cheese.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20-23 minutes till the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Let the pastry cool for about 5 minutes before serving. You may also serve it at room temperature if desired.